Recent efforts by lighting manufacturers have led to the development of various portable lighting devices designed for attachment to a helmet or other article of apparel, such as a vest having multiple external straps known as a “MOLLE” vest, MOLLE being an acronym for MOdular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment. Examples are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,953,259, 7,549,763, and 7,581,847 and in United States patent publication 2007/0159810. Many such lighting devices are composed of a mounting base that can be securely attached to a helmet, a vest, or the like, and a self-contained light and power source combination that can be attached to the mounting base, adjusted while attached to the mounting base to project light in a desired direction, and removed from the mounting base by a deliberate manipulation for hand-held use, for replacement by another light source, or for mounting on a different mounting base.